Film & TV

REVIEW: And Then There Were None

While there is nothing funny about getting trapped in a mansion, on an island, by the sea (because islands tend to be by the sea), the premise of 2015 British TV mini-series And Then There Were None gave me a bit of a chuckle. Only because I’ve seen it happen on Family Guy and The Simpsons before — a seemingly random group of people are invited to mysterious dinner party, and, one by one, they disappear. The classic whodunit story, based on an Agatha Christie novel originally titled Ten Little Niggers, was such a sensitive theme, in that one must not dare mess with it, or else.

Let me start with the ending (no spoilers, I promise): In modern horror films, slashers, in particular, your first guess would most probably be correct — and this is why many of these films end so horribly, revealing an ending or plot twist that makes zero sense. Like Dan, being Gossip Girl. And Then There Were None keeps you guessing till the very end: Who is morally upright? Who is insane? Who is just here to confuse us? Who is telling the biggest lie?

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And Then There Were None only has three episodes. I remember relating this fact to my mother, much to her disbelief: “All dead in three episodes? Impossible.” I wanted to tell her it’s not Game of Thrones, wherein you somehow bond with the characters so that their deaths bring you utmost displeasure. In this show, you feel no connection to any of the dinner party guests, and this is what will make you curious — eager — to know how every of them dies.

There is also the presence of Charles Dance, a.k.a. the second most horrible Lannister, Tywin. He plays Justice Lawrence Wargrave, who seems to be the only gentleman at the party. Dance’s portrayal of Judge Wargrave alone makes the show worth watching, as does the show’s only female dinner party guest, Vera Claythorne, played by Australian actress Maeve Dermody.

Set in pre-war 1939, they arrive at Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast in southern England, upon the invitation of a mysterious host with eight other strangers, and they are chucked one by one, several in one episode. You’d want to tell the show to calm down, chill a bit, because it’s so fast-paced. Blink, and another is dead, as the story goes.

THE VERDICT: It’s not a horror TV series, but it certainly sets the mood for Halloween. Word of advice: Don’t go to the show’s IMDB page. The character-episode count is a dead giveaway.

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The hit murder mystery And Then There Were None joins iflix’s exceptional library of popular and highly acclaimed exclusives, including the worldwide smash hit Mr. Robot and the award-winning crime drama Fargo, new breakout fantasy series The Magicians, dramaAquarius, acclaimed satire UnReal and many more.

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